NEW BOY TEA BOY: PART 4
by deetatarant
Summary: To think that the fate of the world was in their hands.


**NEW BOY TEA BOY: PART 4**

The day was determined to be a shit one. Jack had called him in early, told him he'd need to be there for Tosh. Trouble was coming, Ianto knew; Tosh had been acting oddly for days and he was worried for her. The crazy thing was his friend had actually seemed a little happier, perhaps it had something to do with the new necklace. Ianto sincerely hoped that someone nice had finally walked into her life, but Jack's words had shattered that hope. The spiky alien artefact they had dug up turned out to be a 2 person transporter. Alien transporter, though what that had to do with Tosh's new...love interest? Ianto wondered what the hell was going on. He'd been wallowing so deeply in his self pity lately, how much had he actually missed? Not that it mattered anymore, fuck, no this was Tosh and she did matter.

Ianto spent the day still nursing his healing fractures and watching Jack as he intently studied the object on the observation table. He wondered what was coming he knew it couldn't be good and he wasn't wrong either.

Ianto gently held her shaking hands in his and sat there quietly as Toshiko cried subdued tears. It broke his heart to see the fragile little Japanese girl he adored so much in such pain. He had seen that something was amiss. At first he thought that she was just upset to see Gwen and Owen carrying on the way they were. Ianto was appalled at their insensitivity but was in no position to judge their lack of propriety. Not that he'd been with Jack, since Lisa. The need was no longer there and Ianto's feelings for Toshiko had flooded through with a vengeance over the last few weeks. Her delicate hands felt warm and comforting in his. He wanted to kiss away her tears but knew that this was not the time for his own feelings. Tosh was not only grieving for Mary but in some odd way for Owen as well. Ianto felt like strangling Gwen, for the heart of Torchwood she was behaving like the proverbial office slapper, flirting with Jack and shagging Owen (Probably because Jack had turned her down.). Part of Ianto was having to resist the urge to ring this Rhys bloke and tell him everything. This was not the time. Tosh needed his calmness and his quiet undemanding attention, he would give it no matter what. Toshiko was the only friend he had these days.

Jack had left them in the boardroom a few minutes previously and Ianto spied him donning his greatcoat and heading out of the cog door. The older man looked drained, another betrayal, another member of his team collapsing under the sheer weight of the stress of their work, with no one at home to support them. Suzie came to mind. Then Ianto thought of himself and the terrible mistakes he had made. Perhaps they were all too human for this job. Maybe they just all needed to get out more.

Tosh offered him a weak smile, she knew she'd have to go out and face Gwen and Owen, she could see them hovering about outside the room waiting for her to emerge. Ianto squeezed her fingers.

"It'll be alright Tosh."

Toshiko sniffled and then stood, gathering her composure. "Thank you Ianto."

Ianto left the Hub deciding to go home via the cash machine, he'd need petty cash for the following day.

Tosh sighed as she ground the pendant under her boot. She looked at Jack, the exhaustion of the day overwhelming her.

"I need to tell you something Jack." It was a difficult confession, she knew how intensely private a person Ianto was. Jack gently squeezed her shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Ianto, he's really not doing so well. I heard him Jack."

Jack turned his gaze away to the distance. "Don't worry I'll talk to him."

An hour later and Jack was sat on the roof of the Millennium Centre, mobile in hand speed dialling Ianto's number. His call was rejected.

Three days of frantic searching had revealed nothing of Ianto's whereabouts. Jack had even driven out to check with Ianto's estranged family and had even resorted to filing a missing persons report with the local police. The police weren't even slightly interested. The team had taken Ianto's unpacked apartment apart trying to find anything that would give an indication as to where he had gone to. Tosh had located CCTV footage from the HSBC cash point in the city centre that Ianto had used shortly before his disappearance. His mobile phone had turned up in Splott, a spotty teenager had stolen it from a man he had seen unconscious in the street, along with Ianto's wallet and car keys. The teenager had been Retconned back into baby hood.

Toshiko was devastated and spent the entire time going through Cardiff's CCTV network searching for images for her friend. Gwen and Owen went around trying to talk to witnesses who or may not have seen him. Jack retreated to his rooftop vigil because by this point he was certain that Ianto was dead. He was well aware that the young man's mental state was fragile at best and if Ianto didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. He had wanted to believe with all his heart that Ianto's short journey through life had not ended in suicide but as each day slid by it seemed the more likely scenario.

Things started to get back to normal on the third day of Ianto's absence with a rift alert that simply could not be ignored. It was startling how quickly they settled back into things, just getting on with the job as if their missing colleague had never existed. Of course, the same could be said of Suzie. The notable difference was that Tosh was quieter than normal and Gwen kept asking her if she were alright. Tosh had just nodded and walked away from her, too hurt and mixed up to be able to reply. Often she found herself in the sanctuary of Jack's office unable to bare the closeness of either Gwen or Owen. Jack said nothing, he just let her retreat there when she felt the need. Even now and they were moving on, wondering how on earth they were going cope on instant coffee again and having to clean up after themselves. He found himself missing the young man, far more than he thought was possible. It was like losing Rose all over again. Jack maintained his buoyant and flirtatious facade throughout, the others had no idea.

He knew that if he followed the double yellow lines he'd be ok. They snaked away in front of him and that was surprisingly reassuring considering everything else that was going through his head. The tarmac was cold under his bare feet, the puddles colder still. His shirt and trousers, filthy and soaked clung like a second layer of skin, no warmth there either. He trudged through the night under the orange glow of the street lights, shivering and sore, the Plas not far away now. He wasn't certain why he was headed there, he just knew that was where he would be safe.

Jack looked up from the paperwork on his desk when he heard the alarms to the roller door go off. Half expecting to see Tosh come back in he did a double take when a dishevelled young Welshman tentatively stepped over the threshold. Jack was at his side within seconds taking Ianto in his arms as he sagged against him. Jack over balanced and both of them ended up on the metal grill floor.

"Ianto. It's Ok. I've got you."

Ianto didn't make a sound, he just nuzzled tightly against Jack's chest and lost consciousness, almost as if asleep. Jack could have cried with relief if he wasn't so worried. He carefully got to his feet and gathering a cold wet Ianto against him he carried him to the couch and wrapped him in the blanket that lived there. He then called Owen.

Jack, Gwen and Tosh were stood on the upper level as Owen completed his examination on Ianto who was now bundled in heated blankets on a cot in the autopsy bay. Owen pulled off his gloves and grabbed his chart and came up to join them a worried frown on his face.

"He's sleeping soundly, can we do this in the boardroom?"

Reluctantly Jack agreed, he did not want Ianto out of his sight. They sat around the table and Owen shoved his chart over to Jack.

"He's been drugged and tortured, not sure which way round, but I think the drugging happened first, won't know for sure until the morning exactly what drugs though. There are a number of electrical burns across his chest and back and 26 puncture wounds, probably an ice pick or a narrow bladed chisel. Bruising and cuts to his wrists and ankles suggest he was restrained with barbed wire of some sort. There's no evidence of sexual assault or rape though, thank god."

Tosh's hand had gone to her mouth in shock. Gwen gently rested a hand on her shoulder, no less horrified.

"Why, would anyone do such a thing?"

Jack looked up from Owen's notes. "Sounds like an interrogation to me. They probably used drugs initially and not having success they resorted to torture. Owen?"

The medic nodded. "Yeah, looks that way. His body was completely clean. Who ever held him hostage left absolutely no forensic evidence behind, even his wounds were cleaned out and his skin and scalp scrubbed down. These guys were very efficient. The wounds were designed to cause pain, not death, none of the injuries are life threatening."

"How long before he wakes up?" Jack asked.

Owen shrugged. "I think it is safe to say he hasn't slept, eaten or had anything to drink for the last four days. He'll wake up when he's ready to, but I can't guarantee what kind of shape he's going to be in."

"So what do we have to go on?" Gwen asked, her police training taking over.

Jack rose from his seat. "Until Ianto wakes up? Fuck all."

"Well someone let him go from somewhere before he got back here. I'll try the CCTV again, maybe something will come to light." Tosh needed to do something.

Gwen nodded her agreement. "I'll help." The two of them left the room. Owen and Jack exchanged hard looks at one another.

"This isn't the first time Jack. You remember Suzie going AWOL a couple of years back?"

Jack nodded. He remembered only too well. That mystery had never been solved.

"I'll dig out the case notes, there may be something there. Though I think it unlikely it will help."

Owen couldn't argue with that. "Why Ianto? Why not me or Tosh, for God's sakes, with her skills..."

"Suzie and Ianto both came from Torchwood One originally, maybe that has something to do with it." Jack wondered how he had suddenly made that connection, but now he had voiced it, it seemed right. "I'll look into their service records as well."

Owen grabbed his chart. "I'll work on those tests see if I can find out what drugs they were using, it may help. I'll need to be around when he wakes up anyway."

Ianto sat up wide eyed and wobbly. His vision was a mess of brightness with the occasional talking shadow moving across it. His head felt his brain was 10 times bigger than the space assigned to accommodate it and his guts clenched with nausea. Ianto did not want to know what he had been drinking to get into this state. He felt warm strong hands on his arm and then winced at the pain that suddenly made its presence felt throughout his tired body.

"Oh, God." He mumbled.

Jack stood at his side relieved to see his former lover awake, even if he did need to be held upright whilst Tosh adjusted the pillows at his back. Jack gently guided him back.

"Hey, nice of you to join us."

Owen was fussing with more tests and had to shoo Tosh out of his way, there was no way he was going to try and shift Jack. A soft moan of complaint was only response.

"Hurts."

"Yeah, mate. You're a bit beat up." Owen added brusquely.

Ianto didn't seem to hear him. "Where am I?" He could feel someone's fingers in his hair and he leaned into the soothing touch. "Uhm, that's nice."

Jack actually blushed at the response but kept his hand in place. "Ianto you're in the Hub, the autopsy bay."

"Must've died and gone to heaven, thought that wasn't supposed to hurt." He was trying to focus on the voice beside him. "Jack is that you?"

"Yes." Jack turned to the doctor. "Owen?"

"He's fine, just disorientated I think. Ianto, do you remember what happened?"

That was another voice. Ianto couldn't tell for sure, he screwed his face up against another swell of discomfort. "It's bright. Oh, it's bright. Feel sick."

Gwen who was on the upper level again turned down the dimmer on the lights which ilicited a smile from the young man on the cot. "Thank you." He opened his eyes a little wider. Owen took note of the majorly dilated pupils, Ianto's eyes almost black.

"Ianto what do you remember?" It was Owen again. Ianto turned to the sound of his voice and discovered he could see a whole lot better than he could a minute before. He blinked repeatedly, trying to get the fuzziness out of his aching head.

"Not sure. Can I have a cup of tea?"

Gwen smiled at last, something to do. "I'll get you one pet."

Jack's reassuring presence was still there to his left. "I was in an operating theatre, at least I think that's what it was. I woke up and there were lights in my eyes and a drip in my arm....I'm sorry....It's vague."

"It's ok. Take your time. Just try to think, did they ask you anything?"

Ianto looked up at Jack. "They were testing something. They were testing something on me. I could hear them talking about it."

Owen and Jack exchanged frowns. Ianto continued on though, desperate to dredge up the memory no matter how painful.

"I could hear them, through a speaker. They were wearing Hazmat gear, three of them...English accents...one from up North, a woman......Yorkshire I think. The other two were Londoners, men...God, it's so unclear...I'm sorry."

""Hey' its OK, you're doing great." Jack smiled at him.

Ianto sagged, the energy bled out of him. "I'm sorry. I just..."

Jack's hand was there briefly grasping his. "It's OK."

Gwen came down proffering a mug of sweet tea. She passed it to Jack when it became clear that Ianto didn't have the energy to take it from her himself.

Ianto curled up on his couch with a mug of hot chocolate cradled against his chest. The TV was on in front of him with BBC news 24 playing out in before him. Tosh had bought him the TV and SKY box and installed it the previous week. Every night since she had visited him after work and they had sat together watching re runs of Friends and Scrubs. Ianto had been ordered off duty for a couple of weeks to enable some form of recovery. Ianto would have preferred to be at work, but Owen had laid down the law and ordered him to rest. Ianto had been bored out of his skull within 24 hours. He had managed to convince Jack to drop by with some paper work for him to do but he was fed up and more than a little depressed. The highlights of his day had been Tosh's visits. He was grateful of the company, more than grateful that the two of them could talk to one another about everything, well almost. Tosh's crush on Owen had forced Ianto to hold back on his own feelings for her. The truth was he was more than a little confused about how he felt toward Jack. What a fucked up bunch they all were. Even Gwen, the supposedly undamaged member of the group was a complete fruit loop, how she juggled lying about her job and her sex life to her boyfriend? Ianto didn't want to know he hated infidelity, a relationship involved promises and they were never meant for breaking. He was eternally grateful that he had made no such promises to Jack, even if some small part of him had wanted to. There was too much distrust between them now. It would take a long time to heal. To think that the fate of the planet lay in their hands.

There had been explanation for his disappearance. Ianto had vague recollections and each time he rememebred something he wrote it down and added it to the report, but nothing came of any of it. Ianto wasn't sure whether he was especially bothered or not. It was just another thing to add to the list of things that happen when you work for Torchwood.

That night he showed Tosh to the door at 11pm and retired to bed trying to make sense of what the hell he was doing with his life.


End file.
